Former Coronation Street star Helen Flanagan, 32, has been through a lot of changes in the past few years. From leaving the role that launched her career to ending a 12-year relationship and even a recent stint in South Africa, but her love for her three kids – Matilda, eight, Delilah, five and two-year-old Charlie – has always remained constant. She tellsThe Juggleabout how she makes co-parenting with ex-fiancé Scott Sinclair work, why she doesn’t want her eldest daughter on TikTok and how she keeps track of her kids.
How are you finding the move to co-parenting?
It works really well! I get on really well with Scott’s mum because I was with my ex-fiance from the age of 19 to 31. We’ve got three kids and his mum is a really good nanna. Scott plays football in Bristol where his mum lives, so it works really well. Me and his mum communicate a lot and I’m lucky in that way.
Do you enjoy being a young mum?
I’m 32 and a lot of my friends who are having kids now have already done everything. They’ve gone on all the crazy holidays and had lots of boyfriends and really lived their lives. I had Matilda younger, so there’s still lots of things I want to do. We’re very close – I’m so lucky, she’s so beautiful and the most well-behaved little girl.
What type of parent are you?
What I think is really important, as a mum, is to say sorry to your children when you’re in the wrong. If I’m ever snappy because I’m stressed about something and I know I’ve snapped at them, I always say sorry to my kids. And I always say they can tell me anything and mummy just loves you how you are. You don’t own your children! They have their own minds. I just say mummy is there to hold your hand with whatever decisions you make. I’m probably not the most organised mum, and I’m definitely ditsy, but I’m very loving.
Have you always wanted a big family?
When I was 18 I wanted a baby! I’ve always wanted to be a mum. I’ve always been broody.
Are your kids aware of your fame?
Sometimes when Matilda goes to school she says, 'Oh my friends said you were in the [I'm A Celebrity] jungle', and of course, Daddy plays football. But I think she quite enjoys it. All three kids are totally different but I feel really blessed to have my children. Having kids gives you such perspective. You can be having a really bad day where everything is going wrong and you feel like you can’t cope but then I just go, 'Are my kids ok?', then I’m like, right, it’s not that bad. Even when you’re going through things yourself, you just think you’ve got to keep strong for the kids.
It must be hard to juggle everything as a single parent. Have you ever lost any of your kids?
I never keep my eyes off my children. They’re always with me or my friend – obviously since Scott lives in Bristol I have three kids on my own most of the time so I have a friend who works for me and helps me with my children. They’re either with me, my friend, my sister, my mum or Scott and his mum. They’re always with people I know.
But I have had it a few times in a supermarket where I turn around and think, 'Where are they?!' and it’s the worst feeling in the world. But with my collaboration with NickWatch, the kids love it. They can do voice notes and messages and can call you, and it’s got a tracker which is great for peace of mind.
That must help when you’re out and about, how do you keep them safe online?
My little girl wants TikTok and I feel bad because a lot of my work is on social media and I’m always on my phone. My little girl who is eight is always like, 'Mummy, can I have TikTok?' and I don’t want her to have it. But any big decisions like that, me and her dad make together. For example, if she wants to get her ears pierced I’m quite chilled about it but he doesn’t want her to, so she won’t. If you’re co-parenting you have to respect each other. If I didn’t want her to do something I know he’d go, 'Helen’s a good mum' and it wouldn’t be done. But I have said we can start a YouTube together.
At what age do you think tracking your kids becomes an invasion of their privacy?
As they’re getting older, when they’re in secondary school or 14 what have you, maybe there’s a bit more trust there. When they get to secondary school it can be a bit different and you don’t want to invade their privacy. But it’s about safety, and as a parent, you just want peace of mind.
The NickWatch, a new connected smartwatch for children aged 6-9, with built-in GPS tracking and a wealth of Nickelodeon-inspired interactive games and tasks for kids, is available to purchase now on www.nickwatch.com with the linked Caretaker App downloadable on all App stores.